USC QB Kessler 'very lucky' to have avoided injury

Greg Townsend Jr. had been blocked into Kessler’s left knee. The USC quarterback felt the pressure of the contact. But his foot slipped out from underneath the 275-pound defensive end’s body just in time. No harm done.

“It scared me more than anything,” Kessler said after fully participating in practice Friday, about 36 hours after the almost-injury occurred during a scrimmage at the Coliseum.

“You see knee injuries all the time. You never think it’s going to happen to you. It was that close to happening.”

USC quarterbacks have suffered training-camp leg injuries in the recent past. Mark Sanchez missed most of camp in 2008 before returning for Week 1. Aaron Corp’s injury in ’09 opened the door for Matt Barkley to become the Trojans’ starter.

“I was very lucky,” Kessler said.

Kessler was down for a minute or two and missed a handful of snaps before returning. He put himself in a vulnerable position by dropping the ball on what was supposed to be a play-action pass. The shotgun snap from center Max Tuerk was good, although not all of them have been.

To prepare his quarterbacks for less-than-perfect snaps, position coach Clay Helton regularly puts them through the “bad ball drill.” Helton rapidly flips off-target footballs to the quarterbacks, forcing them off their spot.

“You always try to put your players in the most adverse conditions to make sure, if something like that does happen in a game, that it’s not the first time they’ve seen it,” Helton said. “It’s our job to catch the ball and get it out to the right people.”

‘TEAMS’ PLAYER

Proof that tailback Javorius Allen was OK after his scrimmage injury scare could be found in the way the coaches deployed him on Friday.

Per usual, Allen – who fell hard on his shoulder Wednesday night – worked as the “adjuster” on the punt-return team. That’s the player who stands several yards behind the line of scrimmage, runs downfield and tries to clear a path for the return man.

Allen also serves as the “left guard” on the kickoff-return team – another job that requires blocking.

Why put the team’s starting tailback – who scored 15 touchdowns last season – at risk like that?

“First of all, he’s really good,” USC coach Steve Sarkisian said. “If you look at the film from last year, Buck was tremendous on special teams.”

Sarkisian is seeking a balance between starters and reserves on USC’s special-teams units. Allen is willing to do whatever is asked of him.

“Wherever Coach puts me on the field, I’m going to do my best to make plays,” Allen said. “I’m a team player. I’m here to help my team win, make us better.”

QUICK HITS

Safety Su’a Cravens returned after missing a couple of days because of a groin strain. Cravens mostly worked with the second-team defense during USC’s morning practice. … Players who were still out included defensive end Leonard Williams (shoulder), nose tackles Antwaun Woods (elbow) and Cody Temple (concussion), and cornerback-receiver Adoree’ Jackson (foot). … Guard Jordan Simmons (knee) did not participate in the morning practice. He’s on a one-a-day schedule. … The Trojans mostly worked on special situations, including Hail Mary passes, in the morning with a more physical session Friday night.